From mere converters of solar power from Direct Current to Alternating Current, inverters are becoming brainier. It comes as a result of keener competition, particularly from Asian suppliers. None of the top ten photovoltaic inverter suppliers in the world were from Asia in 2011, now almost half came from Eastern Asia thanks to the growing number of solar installations there. While cost is the prime driver ...

Engineering and construction company Black & Veatch has opened a Hydropower Centre of Excellence in Singapore in a bid to help countries in the region look at new ways to harness their hydro resources. Southeast Asia is one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, and with the region dependent on oil imports and facing potential natural gas supply shortages, mini, small and mid-scale hydropower have ...

The New Taipei City Government yesterday rejected Taiwan Power Co’s (Taipower) soil and water conservation plan for dry-storing 1,680 bundles of spent nuclear fuel rods at the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant, citing concerns over flooding and the site’s resilience against earthquakes. City Agriculture Department Secretary-General Hsieh Hung-wei (謝宏偉) said the proposed 0.45 hectare site in Shihmen District (石門) ...

The Hong Kong property tycoon who amassed about $20 billion in Chinese solar manufacturing assets is expanding his energy technology holdings and may seek the help of Wall Street to do it. Zheng Jianming, chairman and founder of Asia Pacific Resources Development Investment Ltd., is considering a public listing for the holding company he created to manage what may be the biggest collection of solar-manufact ...

French agriculture has a wealth of raw and waste materials that are suitable for biogas plants. However, only half of the available materials are presently used for energy production. Thus, ambitious develop- ment plans have been drawn up: By 2020, the biomass share in the field of renewable energies in France is to rise to about 50 percent. No wonder that that the number of RFPs for plant projects for the ...

Voith has been awarded a new contract to supply the complete electromechanical equipment for a pumped storage power plant in Thailand. The order for the extension of the Lam Ta Khong hydropower plant includes the supply of two motor-generators, two 255 MW vertical pump turbines, the automation systems as well as the electrical and mechanical balance-of-plant systems. The contract has been awarded by the Ele ...

India's new prime minister is turning to nuclear energy to ease a power crisis made worse by the cancellation of hundreds of coal mining permits, but he faces scepticism both at home and abroad. Energy-starved India relies on coal to produce two thirds of its electricity, but power blackouts are common and demand is rising quickly as the economy and middle class expand. On Wednesday (Sep 24), the Supreme Co ...

Building a transmission line to carry electricity from Lao hydropower plants to Singapore can save as much as US$26 billion over 10 years for the four countries involved, according to a new study. During a press conference fo r the 32nd Asean Energy Ministers Meeting on Tuesday, Dr Yanfei Li of the Economic Research Institute for Asean and East Asia (ERIA) said the savings estimate was based on current and ...

Trilliant has signed a contract with EVN HCMC, a subsidiary of EVN, the largest power company in Vietnam, for a smart grid project. The announcement was made following the contract signing ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City, which was attended by Mr.Tran Khiem Tuan, Deputy General Director of EVN HCMC, Chief of Staff Clark Jennings and Regional Manager Mark Dunn from the U.S. Trade Development Agency (USTDA), and ...

China Nuclear Power Engineering (CNPEC) has awarded a contract to Alstom to boost power transmission for 8.6km-long gas-insulated line project. Under the €12m contract, Alstom will be responsible for replacing the overhead lines with gas-insulated lines, a more reliable and environmentally-friendly solution, at the CNPEC's Yangjiang nuclear power station. Located in Yangjiang City, in western Guangdong Prov ...